Destination Kia joining parade of new vehicles

Purchase of franchise adds lineup to nearby Destination Nissan

Published 7:03 pm, Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Sign in front of Lazare Kia car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Sign in front of Lazare Kia car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday,...

Parking lot in front of Lazare car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Parking lot in front of Lazare car dealership on Wolf Rd. on...

Exterior of Lazare Kia car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

A sign at Lazare Kia on Wolf Road announces the dealership has moves to new owners on Central Avenue in Albany, where is is now called Destination Kia.
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A sign at Lazare Kia on Wolf Road announces the dealership has...

A sign at Lazare Kia on Wolf Road announces the dealership has moves to new owners on Central Avenue in Albany, where is is now called Destination Kia.
()

A sign at Lazare Kia on Wolf Road announces the dealership has...

Exterior of Lazare car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Exterior of Lazare car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday, April 9,...

Exterior of Lazare Kia car dealership on Wolf Rd. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

The former Advantage Suzuki at 760 Central Ave. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. The new dealership will be called Destination Kia. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

The former Advantage Suzuki at 760 Central Ave. on Tuesday, April...

The former Advantage Suzuki at 760 Central Ave. on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Colonie, N.Y. The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany. The new dealership will be called Destination Kia. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

The owners of a former Suzuki auto dealership purchased the Kia franchise from Lazare Kia on Wolf Road, and moved it to Central Avenue in Albany.

The new dealership, called Destination Kia, will operate at 760 Central Ave. It is the site of the former Advantage Suzuki, which is winding down after the Japanese automaker pulled out the U.S. market last fall.

James Morrell, owner of the new dealership and also of Destination Nissan at the same address, said the Kia sale closed Thursday for an undisclosed sum. He has already taken Lazare's inventory of about 80 Kias to the Central Avenue site, and has 150 new cars on the way from the global automaker, he said Tuesday.

The Kia dealership will occupy the space formerly used for Suzuki, he said. Customers who had leased or purchased vehicles from Lazare can receive warranty repairs and other customer service at the new dealership, he added.

"We will be renovating our space for Kia, and putting up new signage soon. We are trying to make this as seamless and painless for our new customers as possible. There will not be any gap in customer service," Morrell said on Tuesday.

Morrell said he will mail about 10,000 letters this month to former Lazare customers as well as former Suzuki customers to let them know of the changes. While his Suzuki sales have stopped, his dealership still maintains mechanics to perform warranty repairs and other work, he said.

A manager at Lazare Kia referred a reporter back to Morrell for comment. A sign over the Kia logo in front of the lot advised customers of the change. The Lazare Lincoln dealership is not affected by the change.

In November, American Suzuki Motor Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing slow car sales in the U.S., as well as a strong Japanese currency and U.S. regulatory requirements. The company is the sole importer of the Suzuki brand in the United States.

This is the second major move that Morrell has made since losing Suzuki. In November, he agreed to pass his Dodge and Ram truck franchises to Armory Garage in exchange for their Nissan franchise.

On Monday, Morrell mailed an email to his Suzuki customers announcing the addition of the Kia brand.

"Don't worry, we would never forget about our Kooky Suzuki customers," Morrell wrote. "Advantage Suzuki (Destination Kia) has been designated by Suzuki as an Authorized Suzuki Parts and Service Center to be able to provide uninterrupted service to our loyal customers."

Morrell also is the principal owner of Pamal Broadcasting Ltd., which owns more than two dozen radio stations in New York, Vermont and Florida.